Fierce Battle

"Second Brother, kill this traitor!"

The words had barely left his mouth when a figure appeared, gripping a three-foot-long saber and hacking furiously at Ye Yun.

This man was Wu Heihu. Taking advantage of Zhang Bao's appearance, he had recovered from that domineering fist force, fetched a weapon from inside, and launched his attack on Ye Yun.

Watching the saber slash rapidly toward him, Ye Yun did not hesitate. His figure flashed, and he evaded the incoming blade.

At the same time, he raised his leg and kicked at Wu Heihu's saber-wielding wrist.

Seeing this, Wu Heihu twisted his wrist, lowered the saber to block, and stopped Ye Yun's kick.

Ye Yun continued attacking Wu Heihu, while Wu Heihu refused to be outdone, using offense in place of defense. The two tangled in battle once more.

Elsewhere, Zhang Bao glanced at the battling Wu Heihu and Ye Yun, then turned to Liu Laosan, murderous light flashing in his eyes. "Third Brother, I truly never expected you to make such a choice.

"I'll give you a chance. As long as you join me in besieging that Ye fellow now, once we kill him, I'll plead with Eldest Brother for you. How about it?"

"Heh heh, Zhang Bao, wake up. Put nicely, we are guests of the Wu Family. Put bluntly, we are the Wu Family's slaves! Do you really think they see you as a brother?" Liu Laosan sneered.

"Liu Laosan, I gave you a chance and you refused it. Then don't blame me!"

With that, Zhang Bao charged at Liu Laosan with his long saber. Liu Laosan did not fear him either, gripping his spear as he rushed forward and clashed with Zhang Bao.

Just like that, the four of them fell into continuous combat. For a time, neither side could do anything to the other.

Wu Heihu truly deserved to be called a man from a great family. Not only had he cultivated the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Saber to perfection, but the true qi within him was exceptionally deep and abundant. For the moment, even Ye Yun could do little against him.

At this moment, Wu Heihu was suffering in silence. Every time he attacked, he had to give his all to deal with Ye Yun's layer upon layer of fist force.

Moreover, because Ye Yun had comprehended Half-Step Fist Force, every punch he threw stirred the power of heaven and earth within five meters around him, making his attacks even more formidable.

After several minutes of battle, Wu Heihu could still barely hold on. But as time passed, he gradually began to struggle under Ye Yun's offensive.

On the other side, the battle between Zhang Bao and Liu Laosan was even more brutal.

Liu Laosan had been cut several times by Zhang Bao, his body covered in blood. But Zhang Bao was not faring much better either. Liu Laosan's spear had punched a bloody hole through his abdomen, and blood streamed incessantly from the wound.

Their battle could be described as evenly matched and fraught with peril at every step.

Here, Ye Yun had also been wounded several times in his fight with Wu Heihu. Fortunately, he had avoided the vital areas and suffered only superficial injuries.

Meanwhile, Ye Yun kept trying to merge the Ice Force of Ice Profound Force into the fist force of Ninefold Waves.

But he discovered that this fusion was extremely difficult. The force of Ice Force was highly condensed, while Ninefold Waves' fist force possessed the unending quality of one wave following another, requiring the fist force to remain in a state where it could gather and disperse at will.

The principles of the two types of force conflicted, and Ye Yun could not find a solution in such a short time.

At this moment, after their prolonged battle, a flaw finally appeared in Wu Heihu's defense.

Seizing the chance, Ye Yun knocked Wu Heihu's saber aside with one punch, then flashed forward and instantly closed in before him.

Before Wu Heihu could react, Ye Yun smashed a vicious punch into his abdomen.

Even though true qi offset part of the fist force, the remaining force still made Wu Heihu feel an enormous pain explode through him, as though someone had torn open his stomach.

Ye Yun gave Wu Heihu no chance to catch his breath. Having landed one punch, he fired off several more in rapid succession, every punch carrying the fist force of Ninefold Waves as it struck Wu Heihu's body.

Even though Wu Heihu circulated his true qi with all his strength to resist, part of the fist force still continued to rampage through his body.

Seeing Ye Yun continue his assault, Wu Heihu endured the immense pain, hardened his heart, and unleashed the Wu Family's secret Blood-Burning Berserk Origin Art.

In an instant, Wu Heihu's cultivation surged from the Seventh Level of the Qi Refining Realm to the Ninth Level of the Qi Refining Realm.

As his cultivation increased, his speed also rose by a huge margin. At the critical moment, he evaded Ye Yun's attack.

Seeing Wu Heihu's cultivation soar, a trace of unease arose in Ye Yun's heart. He raised his guard and fixed his eyes on Wu Heihu, refusing to miss even the slightest movement.

After dodging the attack, Wu Heihu used his surging true qi to temporarily suppress the fist force rampaging inside his body.

This Blood-Burning Berserk Origin Art was a martial art unique to the Wu Family. Once used, it burned the user's qi and blood to increase cultivation by two minor realms for an hour. Once the time expired, all qi and blood would be exhausted, resulting in death.

If Wu Heihu had not been driven into a corner, he would never have used the Blood-Burning Berserk Origin Art. Had he not used it just now, he might already have died at Ye Yun's hands.

At that thought, Wu Heihu stared at Ye Yun with bloodshot eyes and gritted his teeth. "Since I can't live, then you can be buried with me!"

With that, Wu Heihu charged at Ye Yun with lightning speed, saber in hand and an aura of mutual destruction.

Facing Wu Heihu in his current state, Ye Yun did not dare meet him head-on. He pushed his movement technique to the utmost, leaving behind an afterimage before dodging the slash.

He had intended to circle behind Wu Heihu and attack, but the instant Wu Heihu discovered that it was an afterimage Ye Yun had left behind, he immediately turned around to search for Ye Yun, causing Ye Yun's plan to fail.

Left with no other choice, Ye Yun could only keep using his movement technique to evade Wu Heihu's attacks. Every mystery of Treading Snow Without Trace unfolded through the movements of his body.

Even as he evaded, Ye Yun continued pondering a way to break the current deadlock.

Although Ye Yun could enter the Selfless Realm to break the impasse, Liu Laosan and Zhang Bao were still nearby. He trusted neither of them and did not dare gamble on Liu Laosan's character.

Even though Ye Yun could not deal with Wu Heihu for the moment, it was no easy matter for Wu Heihu to defeat Ye Yun in a short time either.

The two were thus locked in a stalemate. However, the longer it dragged on, the more favorable it was for Ye Yun. After all, Wu Heihu's Blood-Burning Berserk Origin Art had a time limit.

On Zhang Bao and Liu Laosan's side, Zhang Bao saw that even after Wu Heihu used the Blood-Burning Berserk Origin Art, he still could not do anything to Ye Yun. A thought of retreat could not help arising in his heart.

He also remembered that they had been fighting here for so long, yet none of the martial artists below the mountaintop had come to provide support. His desire to retreat grew even stronger.

As he fought Liu Laosan, Zhang Bao began slowly moving toward the stone steps leading down the mountain.

Suddenly, Zhang Bao kicked Liu Laosan flying, then immediately turned and fled down the mountain.

Liu Laosan was shocked. Ye Yun had instructed him not to let Zhang Bao escape—this was his final hope of surviving. He roared, "Zhang Bao, don't even think about escaping!"

Before his words had faded, he chased after him at top speed.

Seeing this, a glint flashed through Ye Yun's eyes.

Ye Yun then began constantly adjusting his position as he evaded, seeking the most suitable opportunity to deliver Wu Heihu a fatal blow.

At that moment, Ye Yun suddenly spotted a small stone not far away on the ground, and a thought flashed through his mind.

While evading, Ye Yun suddenly exerted force with his foot and kicked the small stone fiercely toward Wu Heihu.

Just as Ye Yun expected, when Wu Heihu saw the stone flying toward him, he instinctively swung his saber to block it. Seeing this, Ye Yun knew his opportunity had arrived.

(End of Chapter)